Means for protecting automobiles from theft.



PatentedNov. 27, 1917.

jzvezzi or K zzz J. M. CHAPMAN. MEANS FOR PROTECTING AUTOMOBILES FROM THEFT. APPLICATION r1120 JULY 7. 1911.

n m N m \N w W N .Q. Q I 1 I I Li i l N F L x 6 N u. %\N\1 .AIIJAWDV/ M r! UNITED PATENT @lh FlQllfh JOHN 1V2. )I-IAIPMAN, O33 MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY.

MEANS FOR PROTECTING AUTOMOBILES THEFT.

1,247 ,Gttl.

Application filed July 7, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN M. CHAPMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing in lvlontclair, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Protecting Automobiles from Theft, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improved means for protecting automobiles from theft and my object is to provide simple and eflicient devices for the purpose intended to be supplied usually as part of the regular equipment but capable of being sold as a separate attachment to be aflixed to any type of car at some convenient point in the gasolene pipe line between the tank and carbureter.

T he devices which have heretofore been suggested for the protection of automobiles from theft have not been entirely efi'ective for the purpose. For example, those which have depended upon the disabling of the electrical circuits have been found in practice to offer very little protection against a resourceful and intelligent automobile thief. Chains and similar devices for locking the wheels can be speedily cut and devices in which the turning of a lock is used to secure the desired protection can be either picked or broken.

Nith my improved device, which is connected in the gasolene supply line, I protect the car from theft by actually removing a section of the gasolene pipe so as thereby to cut off the flow of gasolene to the carbureter, making it absolutely impossible to start the car and at the same time I so construct the element which is thus removed that unless the thief is equipped with a part corresponding thereto in minute details, the gasolene flow cannot be restored. Since these removable elements may diifer one from the other to a hardly perceptible extent, the likelihood of the correct one being in the possession of the thief is so remote as to be outside of the range of possibilities. In fact, with very little changes in diameter, form and pitch of the threads by which the re movable element is taken out or replaced, it will be possible to differently equip several thousand cars with my improvements, and with each car the removable elementwill sufliciently differ from all the others as to be entirely-unsuited for use therewith. In order that my invention may be better understood attention is directed to the accom- Speoification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 27, ll lllr.

Serial No. 179,137.

panying drawing forming part of this specification in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the protecting device in its preferred form,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line of Fig. 1,

Fig. ,3 is a sectional view on the line 3+3 of Fig. 1.

In the above views corresponding parts are represented by the same reference numerals. The gasolene pipe 1 is provided with two couplings 2 and 3 forming a gap be tween them, being soldered, brazed or otherwise secured to said coupling in the usual way. Preferably the pipe adjacent to the coupling 3 is formed in a coil or otherwise arrangedto permit the coupling to accommodate itself to the removable element, as will be explained. Screwed into the coupling 2 is a valve casing 4, within which is a stop-cock 5, having an opening 6 therein which may be brought into line with the bore of the gasolene pipe or moved at right angles thereto to thereby control the flow. The stem 7 of the valve 5 is provided with a reduced section ;8 and is located in the hollow boss 9 whereby a key 10 may be introduced in said boss to engage the reduced end of the valve stem to thereby open or close the valve. By having a removable key which thus controls the valve, I am able to cut off the gasolene supply to the earbureter and the valve can be returned to its open position only by means of a similar key or equivalent device; Such an arrangement may come in very handy to protect the car when it is left for only a few minutes, but obviously it will not serve as an entirely effective device for the purpose if the car were left for anyconsiderable time. Therefore, my improved device contemplates the actual disabling of the gasolene pipe so as to practically remove any possibility of its being restored in any other way that by the l e-insertion of the identical removable element therefrom. To this end a casing 11 is secured in any suitable way as by bolts 12 between the couplings 2 and 3 of the gasolene pipe. The casing may be conveniently located on the dash ofthe car, but it may be placed elsewhere as, for instance, under the seat or under the frame or inside the tool box, the idea being to make its location more or less arbitrary, so that anyone not acquainted with its positions will spend some time in finding it. Screwed into one end of the casing 11 is a cap 13 with which engages a threaded nipple 14 leading from the valve or stop-cock 1, and by which gasolene will be led into the interior of casing 11. Mounted within the casing 11 is a plunger 15 having a plurality of wings 16 engaging longitudinal grooves in the inner wall ofthe casing, whereby the plunger will be kept from rotation as it moves back and "forth within the casing. Suflicient space is allowed between the periphery of the plunger 15 and 5 the bore of the casing to permit the flow of gasolene therethrough. A heavy spiral spring 18 between the plunger 15 and the cap'13 normally seats the plunger against the bottom of the casing 11 so as to cut off the gasolene supply. Located between the threaded bottom end of the casing 11 and the coupling 3 is the removable element 19, formed intermediate of its threaded ends j like a nut, whereby it may be removed or 'placed in position by means of a wrench.

The removable section 19 is formed with a bore constituting a part of the gasolene pipe,

the bore of the removable element and thus completing the gasolene pipe. When, however, the removable element is unscrewed, the spring 18 forces the plunger against the bottom of the casing to out off the gasolene supply. When the gasolene pipe is thus disabled by actually removing a section thereof, the gasolene flow cannot be reestablished unless it be by a device which will simultaneously restore the'connection between the easing 11 and the coupling 3, and at the same time force back the plunger 15 against the tension of the very heavy spring 18 to thereby permit the fiow' of gasolene out of the casing. In actual practice this will be entirely impossible because by varying the diameters of the opening in the coupling 3 and in the bottom wall of the casing 11, by varying the form of the threads on the removable element 19, and by varying the pitch of those threads, a practically unlimited number of combinations can be secured running into the thousands, and unless a person is equipped with exactly the right element as V to diameter, form of threads and pitch therederstoocl that a dummy element corresponding to the removable element 19 may be used except that it will be a solid plug and which may be placed in position when the element 19 is removed thus giving the appearance of an apparently complete gasolene line.

Any thief attempting to steal a car so equipped would have to first ascertain that the gasolene supply had been cut off. He would then have to locate the casing 11 which might be placed in some obscure position. Then he would have to remove thef dummy element and having done so, he

would be presented with the problem of reestablishing the gasolene flow from the mg 11 to the coupling 3, which wlll'necessr tate the use of a removableelement, having may be stated to give complete and absolute protection.

While I have described my improvements as applicable to automobiles, it will be understood, of course, that they may be used in connection with motor boats, or, if de sired, in connection with stationary gasolene engines with which it may be necessary to secure protection from unauthorized operation.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes I have described the principle of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to'represent the best embodiment thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is merely illustrative, and that the invention may be carried out in other ways.

Having thus described my invention what I now claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: r

1. In a device for protecting gasolene engines from unauthorized use, the combination with the gasolene pipe thereof, of a removable section of the gasolene pipe adapted to be unscrewed therefrom to cut off the gasolene supply, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a device for protecting gasolene en gmes from unauthorized use, the combina;

and arranged to allow the operation of a' valve to out off the gasolene supply,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a device for protecting gasolene engines from unauthorized use, the combina tion with a casing connected with the gasolene supply, of a threaded coupling on the gasolene pipe adjacent to said casing and a removable element connecting said coupling with the casing and adapted when removed to break the gasolene pipe, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

41-. In a device for preventing the unauthorized use of gasolene engines, the combination with a casing connected with the gasolene supply, of a spring pressed plunger valve therein, a coupling in the gasolene pipe adjacent to said casing and a removable element connecting the casing with said coupling and threaded into both, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. In a device for preventing the unauthorized use of gasolene engines, the combination with a casing connected with the gasolene supply, of a spring pressed plunger valve therein, a screw coupling on the gasolene pipe adjacent to said casing, and a removable element connecting the casing with said coupling and threaded into both, said removable element being arranged to automatically unseat the plunger valve when screwed into position within the casing, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. A device for preventing the unauthorized use of gasolene engines, the combination with a casing connected with the gasolene supply, of a spring pressed plunger valve therein having wings sliding in 1011- gitudinal grooves within the casing, a threaded coupling connected with the gasolene pipe adjacent to the casing, and a removable element connecting the casing with said coupling and threaded into both and arranged to automatically unseat the plunger valve when screwed into said casing, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

7. In a device for preventing the unauthorized use of gasolene engines, the combination with a casing, of a gasolene pipe leading into said casing, a key operated stop-cock in said gasolene pipe, a spring pressed plunger valve in said casing, a threaded coupling 011 the gasolene pipe adjacent to said casing, and a removable element connecting the casing to said coupling and screwed into both, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

This specification signed and witnessed this 27th day of June, 1917.

JOHN M. CHAPMAN.

Witnesses:

EMMo T. MORRIS, RUTH lviERoHANT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

